Outcry in Ukraine after Kyiv scraps demobilisation plan for long-serving soldiers

Military leaders had put pressure on politicians to ditch a draft amendment that allowed troops who had served for more than 36 months in war a chance to be discharged

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Ukrainian lawmakers have sparked anger by scrapping a clause in a draft law that would have given soldiers who have spent long periods fighting on the frontlines a chance to return home.

With Ukraine's army outnumbered by Russia on the battlefield, the offensive continues along the entire frontline. And currently it is impossible to weaken the defence forces", Dmytro Lazutkin, a spokesperson for Ukraine's defence ministry, said Wednesday on state TV.